P.O.S.
P.O.S. (born Stefon Alexander), is a rapper signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment and a founding member of Doomtree. Biography Naming P.O.S. began as a punk rock musician. In high school, Alexander and his friends played punk shows in a band called "Om," in which he first came to be referred to as "Pissed Off Stef." The abbreviation has since taken on various alternate meanings including "Product Of Society," "Promise Of Stress," "Promise Of Skill," and "Piece Of Shit". Entering rap At first hostile to hip-hop, Alexander soon realized that rap was an alternative, valid method of expression. He began creating music that was increasingly influenced by the genre, despite having very little respect for mainstream rap. In 2001 P.O.S., alongside rapper Syst (short for system) and DJ Anomaly (Jason Heinrichs) existed as a short-lived hip-hop group called Cenospecies. They stayed together long enough to put out an album titled Indefinition (2002). The group won the award for Best Band to Break Up in the Past 12 Months in the year-end issue of The City Pages Doomtree P.O.S. is a founding member of the Doomtree Collective, a nine member group of MCs, Producers, and DJs. His First EPs (Dubbed "Falsehopes") and Debut Album, Ipecac Neat were originally released exclusively through Doomtree. The album caught the attention of Rhymesayers Entertainment, who in 2004 signed him and re-released the album. Since that point, his solo albums have been jointly released By Doomtree and Rhymesayers. In January 2006, his sophomore record, "Audition" was released, raising his profile nationally. Since then, he has mainly focused on Doomtree associated projects; in 2007 the whole collective released a "falsehopes", and in 2008 the group released it's self-titled Debut Album. Shows throughout Minneapolis and the country are usually supported by other members of the collective. In February 2009 he released the much anticipated follow-up to "Audition." The album, titled "Never Better", was released with a unique form of album art. The liner notes, which include six transparent slides, can be rearranged to put the listeners own personal touch on the cover and backing art. The first single, "Drumroll", which also had a video premiere on MTV U, was received well among college and alternative radio alike. Style P.O.S. retains his punk rock influence in songs like "Kidney Thief", which contains a sample from "Out of Reach" by the now defunct band Baxter, and "De La Souls", which contains a sample from "Argyle" by the punk band The Bouncing Souls, but his music cannot easily be labeled. He has described his music as "rap to skateboard to". Using raw drum loops, punk rock bass guitar riffs and sharp wordplay, Alexander has crafted a style that is largely his own. In such songs as Kicking Knowledge in the Face, he rails against those "mainstream" rappers who obsess over material wealth. Shows Originally playing shows exclusively in his native Minnesota, in the last decade P.O.S has repeatedly toured nationwide, touring the country with other members of Doomtree as well as other artists signed to Rhymesayers. In promotion of Audition, P.O.S. toured across the United States and Canada with DJ Turbo Nemesis, Mac Lethal, and Sims. In 2007, P.O.S. opened for Gym Class Heroes on The Darryl Hall for President Tour. P.O.S has also been apart of the 2006 and 2007 Warped Tours. In Fall 2008, P.O.S joined underoath on tour, an artist he'd previously sampled on the track "POS is Ruining My Life". The release of his new album coincided with the "Never Better Tour" which is currently taking P.O.S. along with some of the Doomtree crew on a twenty city tour, culminating in a homecoming show at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN. In early 2009 P.O.S. went on tour with Atmosphere and Attracted to the Gods on the "When God Gives You Ugly Tour." In summer 2009, he is scheduled to play every date on Warped Tour 2009. Other projects Alexander is a vocalist and guitarist in the punk band Building Better Bombs. He was also in a band called Cenospecies with fellow Minneapolis natives Syst (short for System) and DJ Anomaly (Jason Heinrichs). They formed in 2001 and released an album called Indefinition in 2002. The group disbanded shortly after the release of the album. Discography External links * P.O.S Official MySpace * P.O.S VIDEO PERMIERE "Drum Roll" on mtvU * The Doomtree crew * Rhymesayers Ent. * set of live videos at scheduletwo.com * Twin Cities Hip Hop: P.O.S Category: Bands LTJ have played with Category: Links to Wikipedia